英语It-type强调句㈡

取录自《英语自学参考系列手册·句法手册》 第四章英语变式句 第二节强调句

编者  川竹 樑翁

（续前：⑵It-type强调句否定式与疑问式）

⑶not until的It强调句式：

①对not until句的强调有固定的句式，即“It was not until…that…”

——否定前移，肯定句意：直到…才…。

“It was not until…that…”——此强调句式只用过去时态，was与not常缩写为wasn’t。

例：It was not until I saw Mary that I felt happy.  直到见到玛丽我才高兴起来。

It was not until I met you that I knew real happiness.  直到我遇到你以后，我才真正体会到幸福。

It wasn’t until he had explained how that I managed to do it.  直到他给我解释了理由，我才会做。

It wasn’t until nearly a month later that I received the manager’s reply. 将近一个月之后我才收到经理的回复。

 

②为了加强语气，我们可将not until用在“It be…that…”强调句式中。在对not…until…结构中的until…状语强调时，not until不能分开，until后面依原句不变。that后的谓语动词用肯定形式，但not的否定功能仍不变，用来否定后面的谓语动词直到until所指定的时间范围，然后转为肯定。

例：They didn’t start until the rain stopped. 到雨停之前他们没有出发。

→It was not until the rain stopped that they started. 直到雨停了他们才出发。

He didn’t turn up until the meal was over.  他一直没出现，直到吃完饭。【turn up出现】

→It was not until the meal waover that he turned up. 一直到吃完饭他才现身。

Regular radio broadcasts didn’t begin until 1920.  在1920年以前都没有(开始)定时的电台广播。

→It was not until 1920 that regular radio broadcasts began.  有规律的无线电广播直到1920年才开始。

I didn’t get your letter until yesterday 【until yesterday之前没有收到信】

→It wasn’t until yesterday that I got your letter. 直到昨天我才收到你的来信。

 

③此强调句式不用倒装语序，但若改成“Not until…”于句首，则要用倒装——其实所表句意差不多。

比较：He didn’t come until his wife left.  他没来(的情形)一直到他妻子离开／他妻子走了之后他才来。

It was not until his wife left that he came.  一直到他妻子走了之后他才来。

Not until his wife left did he come.  他妻子走了之后他才来。

又例：He didn’t go to bed until 12 o’clock. 到12点前他一直没睡／直到12点他才睡。

It was not until 12 o’clock that he went to bed. 直到12点他才睡。

Not until 12 o’clock did he go to bed.  一直到12点钟他才睡觉。

 

⑷强调从句或短语的It-type强调句

①It强调句有时强调一个被定语从句所修饰的主语或宾语——此须分清强调句中的that和引导定语从句的关系词。

例：The house where he lives is very old.  他住的屋子很冷。【受定语从句修饰的主语】

→It is the house where he lives that is very old.  很冷的地方是他住那屋子。

He picked up a wallet in which there was a lot of money. 他捡到一个里面有很多钱的钱包/【受定语从句修饰的宾语】

→It was a wallet in which there is a lot of money that he picked up. 他所捡到的东西是钱包，里面有很多钱。

She found the necklace in the hotel where she lived.  她在她住的旅馆里找到了那条项链。

→It was in the hotel where he lived that he found the necklace. 她找到那条项链是在她住的旅馆里。

 

②It强调句可以强调作为某一句子成分的介词短语、动名词短语等。

例：The mountain climber was rescued only with the help of the local guide.【要强调作状语的介词短语】

那登山者能得以获救有赖于当地导游的帮助。

→It was only with the help of the local guide that the mountain climber was rescued.

只因有当地导游的帮助，那登山者才得以获救。

We had finished Senior English BookⅡby the end of last term.【要强调介词短语】

到上个学期末我们已经上完了高中英语第二册。

→It was by the end of last term that we had finished Senior English Book Ⅱ.

我们上完高中英语第二册是在到上个学期末的时候了。

Missing the last bus means walking home. 错过最后一班车就意味着得走路回家。【要强调作主语的动名词短语】

→It is missing the last bus that means walking home.  只是错过了最后一班车才意味着走路回家。

Playing computer games cost the boy a lot of money. 玩电脑游戏花掉了这个孩子许多钱。

→It was playing computer games that cost the boy a lot of money. 玩电脑游戏花掉了这个孩子许多钱。

 

②It强调句还可强调主语从句、状语从句、介词短语、动名词短语等

例：What he said disappointed me.  他说的话让我失望。【要强调主语从句】

→It was what he said that disappointed me.  是他所说的话让我失望。

He didn’t believe what others told him. 他并不相信别人告诉他的话。【要强调宾语从句】

→It was what others told him that he didn’t believe. 他不相信的是别人告诉他的话。

After he got married, he got to know Mary. 他在结婚之后才认识了玛丽。【要强调时间状语从句】

→It was after he got married that he got to know Mary.  他是在结婚之后才认识玛丽的。

I began to appreciate their beauty only when I reread his poems recently. 【要强调时间状语从句】

只是当我最近重读他诗的时候，我才开始欣赏到他那诗句之美。

→It was only when I reread his poems recently that I began to appreciate their beauty.

我开始欣赏他的诗句之美是只有当我最近重读他诗的时候，。

He didn’t come to school because he was ill. 他没来上学是因他病了。【要强调原因状语从句】

→It was because he was ill that he didn’t come to school. 是因为他生病了才没来上学。

She acted just as he ordered. 她正是照他吩咐的去做的。【强调方式状语从句】

→It was just as he ordered that she acted. 她正是照他吩咐的去做的。

 

⑸复杂结构的It强调句式——“not…but…”“…rather than…”等用于It强调句

强调句结构比较复杂，尤其是当被强调成分比较复杂时，就往往造成识别的困难，从而让初学者不易作正确判断。

①选择含意结构not…but…(不是…而是…)常融于It强调句，形成“it is／was not…but…that…”或“it is／was not…that…，but…”的强调句式。

例：It is not who is right but what is right that is of importance.  重要的不是谁是对的，而是什么才是对的。

It was not what he he said but how he behaved that made me angry. 使我生气的不是他说的话，而是他做的样子。

It was to get my brakes repaired that I brought my car in, not to get the engine replaced!

我开车来是修理刹车的而不是来换动力的。

As far as he’s concerned, it’s not doing something wrong that matters, but not being caught doing something wrong.

就他而论，重要的不是做错事，而是做错事不被抓住。

 

②“not…but…”的同义结构“rather than…”民常与强调结构的综合运用。

例：It is what you do rather than what you say that matters. 重要的是看你怎么做，而不是看你怎么说。

It is the protection for the trees that really matters, rather than how many trees are planted.

真正重要的在于对树木的保护，而不在于种了多少树。

 

③其它一些意表“不是…而是…”的强调结构句。

例：It was lack of money, not of effort, that defeated their plan. 他们的计划受挫，原因是缺少钱而不是没有尽力。

It was more in sorrow than in anger that he criticized his former colleague.

他批评以前的同事，并非出于气愤而是为他惋惜。

 

⑹It-type强调句的运用

“It be…that…”结构主要用于对“主—谓—宾”句型中的句子成分进行强调，必须记住：它不能用来强调句子的谓语动词和某些状语从句。【强调谓语动词是加Do，后面有述】

例①：“主—谓—单宾”句式

原句：He bought the book in this shop yesterday. 他昨天在这个书店买了那本书。

→It was he that bought the book in this bookstore yesterday.【强调主语he】

是他昨天在这个书店买了那本书。

→It was the book that he bought in this bookstore yesterday. 【强调宾语the book】

昨天他在这个书店买的就是那本书。

→It was in this bookstore that he bought the book yesterday.【强调地点状语in this bookstore】

昨天他就是在这个书店买的那本书。

→It was yesterday that he bought the book in this bookstore.【强调時間状语yesterday】

他在这个书店买那本书是在昨天。

 

例②：“主—谓—双宾”句式

原句：John gave ○Mary △a handbag at Christmas. 在圣诞节约翰给了玛丽一个手提包。

→It was John that/who gave Mary a handbag at Christmas. 【强调主语】

在圣诞节给了玛丽一个手提包的是约翰。

→It was Mary that John gave a handbag (to) at Christmas. 【强调间接宾语】

在圣诞节约翰把一个手提包给了玛丽。

→It was a handbag that John gave Mary at Christmas. 【强调直接宾语】

在圣诞节约翰给玛丽的是一个手提包。

→It was at Christmas that John gave Mary a handbag. 【强调状语】

约翰给玛丽一个手提包是在圣诞节。

 

例③：“主—谓—复宾”句式

原句：They elected him chairman of the committee.他们选举他担任这个委员会的主席。

→It was they that elected him chairman of the committee.【强调主语】

选举他担任这个委员会的主席的是他们。

→It was him that they elected chairman of the committee. 【强调宾语】

他们选举来担任这个委员会主席的是他。

→It is Chairman of the committee that they elected him.【强调宾补】

他们选举他担任的是这个委员会的主席。

 

例④：“主—谓—宾”否定句式

原句：He did not meet your brother yesterday. 他昨天没有遇见你兄弟。【不可强调谓语动词】

→It was not he who met your brother yesterday. 昨天遇见你兄弟的不是他。【强调主语】

→It was not your brother that he met yesterday. 他昨天遇见的不是你兄弟。【强调宾语】

→It was not yesterday that he met your brother. 他遇见你兄弟不是在昨天。【强调状语】

（未完待续）